8 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER April 2022
Tech Corner
By JIM TEAGUE
Three things to consider about computer “ backups ”
In February , I wrote about scams : how to identify them , and what to do about them . Today , the topic is “ backups ”. Backing up your data is always a good idea because , as
TEAGUE you all know , and some have unfortunately experienced , computers and hard drives do occasionally fail . It ’ s not always the end of the world , even if you don ’ t have backups , but having an up-to-date copy of your data somewhere is always the wisest choice . And I place heavy emphasis on the word “ copy ,” because if your data is in only one place , even if it is on an external hard drive , it is vulnerable to loss . In the business , we called that an “ SPOF ,” or single point of failure . With that principle in mind , let ’ s talk about some of the things to think about when it comes to backing up your important stuff .
What ’ s important to back up and how frequently ?
In the event of your PC or Mac suffering an untimely demise , what is it that you ’ d be sorry to lose ( such as family photos )? Worse , what is it that would be devastating to lose ( like critical business , legal or financial documents )? Spend some time thinking about these files : both are things you want to back up .
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How often do you change these fi les ?
If you don ’ t add or change these files
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often , then you don ’ t have to back them up frequently .
How much of it do you have and where is it ?
Do you have a few hundred photos or documents , or do you have years and years of folders and subfolders full of thousands of files ? Are these in a small and manageable set of places , like the “ Pictures ” and “ Documents ” folders , or are they spread “ somewhere ” throughout your PC or Mac ? Keeping things together in a small set of places will make the backup process easier .
How should you back it up ?
If your important files are hopelessly spread throughout your computer — and , let ’ s face it , sometimes these things just happen over time — then you may want to back up your entire computer . In this case , it may make more sense to use a third-party backup software , maybe even something that backs up to “ the cloud ,” unless you have massive amounts of data to back up . In the latter case , cloud backups can be expensive .
Another alternative is to use “ cloudbased ” storage , such as Microsoft ’ s One- Drive , or Apple ’ s iCloud . Only a certain amount of this storage is free , so if you have massive amounts of data , cost is a consideration here , too .
Most people ’ s collections of important files don ’ t amount to a lot of computer storage space , so a simple copy to an external drive , or OneDrive / iCloud , will be sufficient . But if you have lots of data , third-party backup software can be configured to back up whatever you select , on your schedule , and , best of all , only back up what has changed since the last backup .
Jim Teague is a Charbonneau resident with over 30 years in the technology industry , most recently at Microsoft , and has a masters degree in Computer Science . His business , Teague Tech , has been helping folks with their technology challenges since he moved here from Seattle .
Solo Sisters
By CANDY FERGUSON
Our group is a great way for single women to make new friends
Here we go again !
Spring is upon us . Days are lengthening , the sun feels warmer , clocks have been turned back and masks are off ! Suddenly , life seems a
FERGUSON little bit brighter , hopeful and normal . And with the return to normalcy we are once again free to gather , greet old friends and make new ones . That is what Solo Sisters is all about . And once again , we are gathering to talk , laugh , have fun , meet new members and put the pandemic behind us .
Solo Sisters is a very unique group , and the only requirements for membership are being a woman and single . When I moved to Oregon five-plus years ago , I knew just one woman , my daughter , who lives in Villebois . I joined Charbonneau Singles and in just a few months I had half a dozen women I began to hang out with . We went to movies and happy hours and slowly explored the greater Portland area . A year and a half later , Charbonneau Singles
Book Club
By CAROL MCHUGH
Two April meetings planned
The Charbonneau Book Club is back ! morphed into Solo Sisters , a group of 65 amazing women eager to spend time together and make new friends . A new friend of mine , who moved here 16 months ago only knowing her daughter in Tualatin , joined Solo Sisters despite the pandemic , and soon had a strong , hardcore group of friends . When she recently found herself confined to her bed for two weeks , nine of us signed up to take her dinners . That ’ s what Solo Sisters do !
On March 24 , Solo Sisters will hold its first meeting of the year . The plan is to gather around in the card room at CCC , enjoy a casual supper and have plenty of time for talking . In order to help new people feel comfortable , we will also play a rousing game of Left Center Right , a game that takes five seconds to learn and is lots of fun . For the time being , we are not planning any happy hour excursions to local restaurants , but as time goes by and we become comfortable with more lax COV- ID-19 restrictions , and we see how well Oregon continues to control the disease , we hope to venture beyond our Charbonneau borders . The Planning Committee continued to meet and make plans during the pandemic and now it will be fun to start implementing our plans and hopefully savor success with them .
If you are a single woman living in Charbonneau , we would love to hear from you . Please send inquiries to Deanna Morgan at deannamorgan @ gmail . com and she will reach out to you and add you to our mailing list .
April books will be “ The Gown ” by Jennifer Robson ( on April 12 ) and “ The Ghost Map ” by Steven Johnson ( on April 26 ). Meetings are held at 1 p . m . in the clubhouse . Refreshments are served . We have a good group . The discussions are interesting and lively . Please come join us !
OVERVIEW OF BYLAW CHANGES
The Charbonneau Country Club is proposing changes to our community ’ s Bylaws and intends to vote on them at our May 18 , 2022 annual meeting . The changes are intended to make our Bylaws less confusing and make them easier to read . The primary changes are to eliminate all references to Willamette Factors , Inc , the developer of Charbonneau ; eliminate the classes of voters ; eliminate the dates by which something was to occur and are now all past ; redefi ne quorum ; allow for electronic meetings ; and allow for electronic communication .
Copies of the existing Bylaws , the new proposed Bylaws , and a summary of the changes , will be sent electronically to residents on our e-mail list , posted on the CCC website , and copies of all three documents are available in the clubhouse for resident review .
April EPPS Team Meeting
Save the Date !
On Tuesday , April 26 , at 5:00pm , HOA Captains and Medically Trained Residents will have a Team meeting in the Activity Center .
Watch for information from your Key Captains for meeting details !